Congo president slams UN withdrawal from anti-rebel mission

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Congo's president is condemning a decision by the United Nations to withdraw its support from a military offensive against a rebel group.

The U.N. announced recently that it could not take part in the effort because Congo's military decided to have the campaign be directed by two generals linked to human rights violations.

Government spokesman Lambert Mende said Sunday that President Joseph Kabila criticized the U.N. move in a meeting with Western ambassadors.

Kabila said that his country is "not under the supervision of the U.N." The president added that Congo's army would continue fighting the Rwandan Hutu rebels known as the FDLR, as it has done for more than 15 years.

The Rwandan Hutu rebels came to Congo to avoid prosecution for their participation in the 1994 Rwandan genocide.